Silverbulletday Stakes 2024 [Kentucky Oaks] | Fair Grounds Replay

The Brad Cox-trained West Omaha won the 2024 Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds, a prep race for the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

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Watch the race replay here:

The press release:

Gary and Mary West’s West Omaha made her move on the far turn, opened up at the top of the stretch, and cruised home to win the 30^th running of the $150,000 Silverbulletday presented by Fasig-Tipton by five lengths over Perfect Shot and four other fillies. Under jockey Luis Saez, West Omaha completed 1 mile & 70 yards in 1:43.48.

Having run second to stablemate Alpine Princess in the Untapable last time out, the West Coast filly trained by Brad Cox now totals 25 points on the road to the $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). Perfect Shot banked her first 10 points for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Exiting a sprint, Accommodating Eva went to the front, clicking off opening fractions of :24.63 and :48.84. With Perfect Shot and Miss Code West falling in line behind the leader, West Omaha set up shop, tracking three-wide. Setting down her run out of the far turn, West Omaha pulled ahead midway down the stretch, as three fillies fought hard for second with Perfect Shot emerging in the final stages ahead of Sistina Chapel.

“She broke from there pretty well,” Saez said. “She runs fast and puts you anywhere you want to be. She was very comfortable and when she came on at the top of the stretch, it was all about her. The further the better for her.”

Trained by Ken Mcpeek, Sistina Chapel now has 9 Kentucky Oaks points. Finishing fourth in the Silverbulletday, Miss Code West earned her first 4. Accommodate Eva hung on for fifth, securing 2 points.

It was the third win in this race for Cox. In 2018 his Silverbulletday winner Monomoy Girl would later take down the Kentucky Oaks, and last year’s victress the Aly’s Look ended up third in the Run for the Lillies.

“We were confident she (West Omaha) would continue to stretch out,” Cox said. “She showed a lot. Made a really nice move on the turn. We’ve got a very solid group (of 3-year-old fillies). We like (Untapable winner) Alpine Princess, this one (West Omaha) and that filly we ran earlier is really nice (Ghalia Princess). We really don’t know which one is best right now but they’ll sort themselves out over the next few months and we will see which fillies deserve to be in the starting gate for the Kentucky Oaks.”

Never out of the exacta in four career tries, West Omaha’s first stakes win brings her to 4-2-2-0 totaling $203,000 in earnings.

West Omaha returned $3.80, $2.20, $2.10. Perfect Shot paid $2.80 and $2.40 and Sistina Chapel returned $2.40 to show.

The Fasig-Tipton Treme Series carries on with the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2) on Feb. 17, where the fillies will stretch out to 1 1/16 miles. The Road to the Kentucky Oaks through Fair Grounds concludes on March 23 with the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).

Additional Quotes

Steve Asmussen, trainer of Perfect Shot:

“She stayed on nicely,” Asmussen said. “The filly that won it, won pretty handily. But I thought our filly continued on and with the opportunity to run further, we’re anxious to stretch her out a little more. I think that it’s very encouraging that the next couple of races in the series here are further. She’s a nice filly and she should get better with time.”